Saturday, September 20, 2014

Press Release
September 15, 2014

Washington, DC…On Thursday, September 25, at 7 PM, the National Archives presents a special screening and discussion of Breath of Freedom,
the story of the one-million-plus African Americans who fought in
World War II (2014; 46 minutes). A discussion including Dr. Frank Smith,
Jr., director of the African American Civil War Memorial & Museum,
and Maria Höhn, author of A Breath of Freedom: The Civil Rights Struggle, African American GIs, and Germany, will follow the program. This event is presented in partnership with Smithsonian Channel and the Congressional Black Caucus.

About Breath of Freedom

They fought for democracy in a segregated army and marched as
conquerors into a country in ruins. Finding a "breath of freedom" in
post-World War II Germany, African-American soldiers experienced for the
first time what it felt like to be treated as equals—and returned home
determined to change their
country. This largely unknown chapter in American history is told in
Breath of Freedom, a new two-hour documentary narrated by Academy-Award
winner Cuba Gooding, Jr.

Breath of Freedom traces African-American soldiers from
Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge, when American forces faced such a
crisis that they had no choice but to break the rule of strict
segregation and allow black soldiers to fight side by side with whites.

Featuring interviews with former Secretary of State General Colin
Powell and Congressman John Lewis, this is the remarkable story of how
World War II and its aftermath played a huge role in the Civil Rights
Movement. It’s a story told through the powerful recollections of
veterans like Charles Evers, brother of slain Civil Rights icon Medgar
Evers.

This event is free and open to the public, and will be held in the
William G. McGowan Theater of the National Archives Building in
Washington, DC.
Attendees should use the Special Events entrance, located on
Constitution Avenue at 7th Street, NW. The building is open 10 AM–5:30
PM daily, and is fully accessible. Metro: Yellow or Green lines,
Archives/Navy Memorial station.